Donore’s Euro Stars Shine at National Junior & U23 Championships

Club News, Juvenile, Results

ATHLETICS REPORT – for week ending 7th July 2019

This week’s highlights: NATIONAL JUNIOR GOLD FOR JACK RAFTERY and LOUIS O’LOUGHLIN in the 400m and 800m – and an excellent bronze medal for Aoife Lynch in the Irish Under 23 Women’s 200m.

NATIONAL JUNIOR & UNDER 23 CHAMPIONSHIPS at TULLAMORE (06.07.2019)

There was high drama at the Irish Junior and Under 23 track and field championships at Tullamore on Saturday (06.07.2019). As if in a high stakes poker game the Donore Harriers duo of Jack Raftery and Louis O’Loughlin each played their winning hand at the final showdown.

In the 400 metres junior men’s final Raftery was languished back in 7th place at the 200m mark. His chances of a medal seemed remote. Round the top bend the affable Donore Harriers athlete drove forward in pursuit of the leaders. Entering the home strait ’Big Jack’ played his ace and used his superior strength to put himself back in contention. He sliced his way through the field and hit the front with just 5 metres remaining. A final forward lunge to the line secured the gold medal and a new personal best time of 48.40. David Ryan (48.45) of Moycarkey Coolcroo AC was 2nd and Adam Hughes (48.79) of City of Lisburn AC was 3rd . Raftery qualified for the final by finishing 2nd in Heat 1 in a time of 49.75.

O’Loughlin (1.54.00) had earlier won the most dramatic race of the day, when he edged out Mark Milner (1.54.01) of Tullamore Harriers and Daragh McIlhenny (1.54.02) of Bantry AC in a tense, tactical race. The 3 pre-race favourites had broke clear of their pursuers at 300 metres and reached the bell in a moderate 60 seconds. The race did not reach high-tension until the 600 metres mark when Milner made his move gaining 3 metres on O’Loughlin and McIlhenny as they rounded the top bend. McIlhenny, who recently set new Irish junior records for the 5,000m and the 3,000m, began chasing down Milner in the sprint to the line in what seemed like an ultimate duel between the two. O’Loughlin was two strides back and looked out of contention. But Louis wanted to be the King and holding the inside line he sprinted to a remarkable win, with just two-hundredths of a second separating the three athletes.

Donore Harriers other medal on the day was a bronze to Aoife Lynch (24.37) in the final of the Under 23 Women’s 200m. Newport AC athlete Sharlene Mawdsley (23.74) came 1st with Sophie Becker (24.05) of St. Joseph’s AC the runner-up. Donore’s Sarah Lahiff (27.83) came 5th.

Aoife Lynch has been selected to represent the Ireland 4 x 100m team in the European Under 23 championships at Gavle in Sweden between the 11th and 14th of July, with Jack Raftery (4 x 400m team) and Louis O’Loughlin (800m) selected on the Irish team going to the European Under 20 championships at Borsa in Sweden (18th to 21stJuly).

U.23 athlete Eva McPartlan came 4th in the 100m Hurdles final in a time of 16.52 and 5th in the second Heat of the Women’s 100m in a time of 13.47, thus failing to reach the final. McPartlan, a former St. Coca’s AC athlete, continues to make steady progress after a long lay-off due to injury.

Ailbhe Healy (2.85m) is another athlete trying to regain form after injury. With only limited preparation Healy came 4th in the final of the U.23 Women’s Pole Vault, losing out on the bronze medal on count-back.

Sprint star Paul McDermott had a busy day, qualifying from the heats to finals in the Under 23 Men’s 100m and 200m. McDermott (11.02 & 22.18) came 5th in both finals.

NATIONAL JUVENILE TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY 1 at TULLAMORE (07.07.2019)
Day 1 of the National Juvenile Track & Field Championships for 2019, also at Tullamore, on Sunday (07.07.2019) saw Louis O’Loughlin win the club’s only medal. In the Under 19 Boys 800m final the outstanding O’Loughlin front ran the race from gun to tape winning in a new championship best time of 1.52.58. Jake Bagge (1.56.22) of Ferrybank AC was 2nd with Conor Matthews (2.01.34) of Dunleer AC in 3rd.

First season athlete Rory O’Farrell (10.21) showed plenty of potential when placing 4th in the final of the Under 13 Boys 60m Hurdles. He quailed to the final by placing 3rd in the first heat in a time of 10.19.

Ruby Kelly (8.38.15) ran a very creditable 5th in the final of the Under 17 Girls 2,000m steeplechase – an event that she only recently adopted. Gavin Curtin (10.38.17) also came 5th in the Under 18 Boys 3,000m steeplechase – and although disappointed not to make the podium his yearly progression in the event suggests that national medals will come. He has already improved his time by more than half-a-minute since last year.

Abdel Laadjel (2.03.08) could not stay with the pace of the lead group on the 2nd lap and faded to 6th place in the final of the Under 17 Boys 800m. He progressed to the final by coming 2nd in the first qualifying heat in a time of 2.03.37.

NORTHERN IRELAND & ULSTER TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS at BELFAST (30.06.2019)

Master athlete Orlaith Read (25.88m) won a gold medal in the Northern Ireland & Ulster Masters Championships at Belfast last weekend in the 4kg Hammer competition.

ROSCOMMON 10 MILE ROAD RACE (06.07.2019)
In the Roscommon 10-mile road race Chris Muldoon M40 placed 38th from 557 finishers in a time of 1.04.02; with Grace Kennedy-Clarke (1.05.52) the 6th woman home when placing 54th overall.

ALANNA RUSSELL MEMORIAL RUN at NAVAN (07.07.2019)
Elsewhere, Brian Gaffney (26.17) placed 174th of 470 finishers in the second running of the Alanna Russell Memorial Race at Navan on Sunday.

PARKRUNS
Sam Allen (16.19) was first home in the Naas Parkrun (06.07.2019) and 13 years-old Katie Delaney (23.52) 4th overall and 1st woman in the Waterstown Parkrun.

RESULTS IN BRIEF:

IRELAND JUNIOR AND UNDER 23 TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS 2019 at TULLAMORE
(06.07.2019)
Junior Men’s 400m Final: 1st Jack Raftery (48.40 PB) qualified 2nd from Heat 1 in 49.75
Junior Men’s 800m Final: 1st Louis O’Loughlin (1.54.00)
U.23 Women’s 200m Final: 3rd Aoife Lynch (24.37), 5th Sarah Lahiff (27.83)
U.23 Women’s 100m Heat 2: 5th Eva McPartlan (13.47)
U.23 Women’s 400mH Final: 4th Eva McPartlan (16.52)
U.23 Men’s 100m Final: 5th Paul McDermott (11.02) qualified 2nd from Heat 2 in 11.06
U.23 Men’s 200m Final: 5th Paul McDermott (22.18) qualified 3rd from Heat 2 in 22.12
U.23 Women’s Pole Vault Final: 4th Ailbhe Healy (2.85m SB)

IRISH JUVENILE TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY 1 at TULLAMORE (07.07.2019)
U.19 Boys 800m Final: 1st Louis O’Loughlin (1.52.58 championship record)
U.13 Boys 60m H Final: 4th Rory O’Farrell (10.21) qualified 3rd from Heat 1 in 10.19
U.17 Girls 2,000m Steeplechase Final: 5th Ruby Kelly (8.38.15)
U.17 Boys 800m Final: 6th Abdel Laadjel (2.03.08) qualified 2nd from Heat 1 in 2.03.37
U.18 Boys 3,000m Steeplechase Final: 5th Gavin Curtin (10.38.17)

ROSCOMMON 10 MILE ROAD RACE (06.07.2019)
38th Chris Muldoon M40 (1.04.02)
54th & 6th woman Grace Kennedy-Clarke (1.05.52)
557 finishers

ALANNA RUSSELL MEMORIAL RUN at NAVAN (07.07.2019)
174th & 33rd MS: Brian Gaffney (26.17)
470 finishers

NORTHERN IRELAND & ULSTER MASTER CHAMPIONSHIPS at BELFAST (30.06.2019)
Women’s W45 4kg Hammer: 1st Orlaith Read (25.88m)

GUEST RACES held with NATIONAL LEAGUE Q. MATCH at SANTRY (30.06.2017)
Men’s 400m: Adam Halpin (55.79)
Men’s Javelin: Jaco Oosthuysen (51.59m)
Men’s 200m: Farrell Ebisin (26.02 debut)

PARKRUNS
Waterstown: 4th & 1stWoman: Katie Delaney U.14 (23.52)
Naas: 1st Sam Allen (16.19)
Porterstown: 10th Tom Fagan M50 (22.34)
Brickfields: 56th Ray Holmes M60 (35.13)
Corkagh: 137th Nicola Dowdall W45 (50.25)

Nat. Jnr&U23 Louis O'Loughlin medal

Nat. Jnr&U23 Ryan, Raftery & Hughes

Nat, Juv1 Bagge O'Loughlin Matthews

Nat. Jnr&U23 Becker, Mawdsley Lynch

Nat. Jnr&U23 Jack Raftery end

Nat. Jnr&U23 Louis O'Loughlin end

Nat. Juv1 Rory O'Farrell

Donore Harriers Athletic Report (week ending 30th June) BUMPER EDITION!

Club News, Juvenile, Results, Senior

Plenty of action again this week!

by Gerry Naughton

The highlight being the outstanding team results in the 2nd qualifying round of the National Track & Field League at Santry on Sunday.

We also had Louis O’Loughlin and Jack Raftery consolidating their claims for selection to the
European Under 20 Championships and news of Aoife Lynch being selected to the Irish 4 x
100m relay team to compete in the European Under 23 Championships.

Other highlights include the women’s team 2nd placing in the St. Coca’s 5km road race and
Matei Ursachi winning our first medal in the 2019 national juvenile championships.

NATIONAL TRACK & FIELD LEAGUE ROUND 2 at SANTRY (30.06.2019)

Men’s captain David Campbell described it as being an “Awesome day” for Donore Harriers
as both the women’s and men’s team progressed to the finals of the premier track and field
league. “We’ve got a special group of athletes” proclaimed Campbell as he offered
congratulations to women’s track and field captain Leonie Newman and to the coaches at
the club.

The women’s team (104 points) were 1st on the day with Louth County on 103.5 and
Tipperary County on 101. Maximum 9 points were gained in 6 events, including Aoife Lynch
in the 100m and 200m, Barbara Clearly (10.18.1) in the 3,000m, Caoimhe Mackey (1.12.250
in the 400m Hurdles, Lauren O’Keeffe in the Hammer and Lara O’Byrne (1.60m) in the High
Jump.

Other strong performances came from Rebecca Power 2nd in the Javelin, Anne Gormley
(9.15.70) 3rd in the 1,500m Walk, Ruby Kelly (13.17.8) 3rd in the 3,000m steeplechase and
Lara O’Byrne (1.60m) 3rd in the High Jump. The versatile O’Byrne had earlier picked herself of
the track after a fall in the 100m Hurdles to place 4th in that event.

Grace Kennedy-Clarke (5.18.8) answered a late call-up to place 4th in the 1,500m. it was a
very creditable performance as she feels more at home running the marathon and ran 10
miles in training on the previous day. Roisin Rynn-Cahill (8.56m) 4th in the Triple Jump, Emily
Geoghegan (7.87m) 4th in the Shot Putt, Florence Curley (1.19.0) 5th in the 400m and Maura
Kearns (2.24.7) 5th in the 800m all gained valuable points for the team.

The 4 x 100m team (52.34) of Lauren Flaherty, Sarah Latiff, Emily Geoghegan and Lara
O’Byrne and the 4 x 400m team (4.26.0) of Lauren Flaherty, Sarah Higgins, Caoimhe Mackey
and Maura Kearns both placed in 4th position.

The women’s team (194) qualify to the final on the 20th July 2019 at Tullamore in 6th place
from the 2 qualifying sections, behind the county teams of Galway (211), Louth (209.5),
Kildare (201.5), Tipperary (200) and Monaghan (195) and ahead of DSD AC (186.5) and St.
Abbans AC (181).

The men’s team (107) came 2nd behind Clonliffe Harriers (123). Nenagh Olympic (100) came
3rd , with Crusaders AC (97) 4th of the 7 competing teams.

David Slupko (15.61) got the team off to a great start by winning the 110m Hurdles. The
foundation for an impressive team showing came in the mid-distance events with John
Travers (1.56.4) in the 800m, Daragh Fitzgibbon (4.04.5) in the 1,500m and Rossa Hurley
(15.43.0) in the 5,000m all gaining 9 points – and the ever gutsy Gavin Curtin (10.36.9)
collecting 7 points for runner-up spot in the 3,000m steeplechase.

In the final field event on the day Edgar Rutins won 9 points in the Javelin, whilst more 7
pointers were accrued by Paul McDermott (11.07) in the 100m and Elliot Slade (49.06) in the
400m.

McDermott (22.50) had earlier placed 4th in the 200m. Daragh McAuley (59.06) ran a fine
race to place 3rd in the 400m Hurdles. The other individual results included: – Kolade Abiodun
(12.26m) 5th in the Triple Jump, Jaco Oosthuysen 5th in the Shot Putt and 6th in the 56lb
Hammer, Zak Higgins (1.60m) 6th in the High Jump, Alex Conway 6th in the Hammer, and Sean
Chann 7th in the Long Jump.

The 4 x 400m relay team (3.24.7) were involved in a very exciting race, but had to settle for
2nd place behind Finn Valley AC. The team consisted of Zak Higgins, Conor Fox, Daragh
McAuley and Elliot Slade. The 4 x 100m team (44.79), consisting of Sean Chann, David
Slupko, Adam Halpin and Zak Higgins, came 4th.

Donore Harriers qualify to the final on 206 points from the 2 rounds. Clonliffe Harriers (251)
are the leading qualifiers with Raheny Shamrocks AC and Crusaders AC 0(both 208) next.
The other teams to make the final include St. Abbans AC (198), DSD AC (196) and Galway
City Harriers (193)

BAUHAUS JUNIOR GALA INVITATION at MANNHEIM (29 & 30.06.2019)

At the Bauhaus Junior Gala at Mannheim on Sunday (29.06.2019) Louis O’Loughlin placed 2 nd
in the Under 20 men’s 800m in a time of 1.50.28. The six-athlete A race proved to be a
bumpy affair with a lot of barging throughout the first 500 metres. O’Loughlin stayed in the
mix and moved from 6th to 1st along the back strait, with Mark Milner (1.50.72) of Tullamroe
Harriers giving chase. In the run to the line a fast finishing Maximiliam Sluka of Germany
(1.50.03) used his superior speed to take first place. O’Loughlin gained his 2nd ‘B’ standard
time and is now eligible for selection to the European Under 20 championships.

On Saturday (29.06.2019) Jack Raftery won the 1st heat in the Under 20 Men’s 400m in a
time of 48.81, just one-tenth of a second short of his personal best time. On Sunday ‘Big
Jack’ was back in action, this time running Leg 3 on the Irish Under 20 relay team. The
Ireland team placed 3rd behind two strong German outfits in a time of 3.15.59. Raftery
certainly consolidated his claim for inclusion to the team in the forthcoming Euro U.20s.

BRITISH MILERS CLUB GRAND PRIX at WATFORD (29.06.2019)

On a balmy, humid evening in Hertfordshire Daragh Fitzgibbon and John Travers lined up in
the British Milers Club Grand Prix meeting at Watford. Fitzgibbon (8.32.82) placed 15th in the
Men’s 3,000m A race, whilst John Travers stepped off the track after 2 laps in the Men’s
1,500m A race. “I just didn’t feel right, like I had no energy” explained Travers later. Both
Fitzgibbon and Travers were back in action on the following day gaining maximum points in
the National League over 1,500m and 800m respectively.

DUBLIN OPEN GRADED MEET NO. 5 at TALLAGHT (26.06.2019)

The fifth Dublin Open Graded meeting at Tallaght Track on Wednesday (26.06.2019)
incorporated some 800m championship races.

In the Dublin Open Championship Elliot Slade (1.52.45) ran out a convincing winner in the
A1 race to claim the gold medal. Abdel Laadjel (2.04.56) came 4th overall in the A2 race,
which was good enough to win the bronze medal in the Dublin Under 17 juvenile
championship. Simon Murphy (2.08.97) faded after a strong first lap to place 4th in the Under
19 age-group.

The other competing Donore athletes were: – Ailbhe Healy (2.40m) 3rd in the Pole Vault;
Colm Dunne (24.87) 2nd in the C1 grade 200m; Barbara Clearly (2.27.83) 4th in the B1 grade
800m; Dominic Boyle (2.15.72) 4th in the C1 grade 800m; and Paul Cummins (9.45.68) 3rd in
the B grade 3,000m.

ALL IRELAND JUVENILE GAMES at TULLAMORE (29.06.2019)

There championships are specific for athletes in the Under 9 to 13 age groups. Matei
Ursachi (4.65m) won the club’s first medal at this year’s national juvenile championships
with 3rd place in the Under 13 Boys Long Jump. Ursachi (7.93m) also placed 12th in the Shot
Putt.

Another versatile athlete Mario Omozee was busy in the Under 12 Boys group, placing 3rd in
his heat of the 60m (8.70 – he did not qualify to the final), 5th in the High Jump (1.25m) and
13th in the Shot Putt (7.53m).

In the Pairs competitions the Under 11 Girls Turbo Javelin team came 5th with Zoe Conroy
throwing 15.51m and Amber Lynch 16.52m for a combined effort of 32.03m.

The Under 11 Boys 600m pairing of Luuk Jackson (1.57.20) and Cillian McCooey (1.54.33)
placed 7th .

Sebastian Ursachi (9.99) and Dylan O’Connor (9.86) came 12th in the 60m pairs, the same
position gained by Amber Lynch (3.16m) and Talitha Hynes (3.19m) in the Under 11 Girls
Long Jump.

The Under 13 Boys 4 x 100m quartet of James Dunne, Alex Leonard, Paddy Nolan and Ciaran
O’Farrell were disappointed when they could only manage 6th place in Heat 2 and failed to
make the final.

ST. COCA’S 5km ROAD RACE at KILCOCK (28.06.2019)

It was a night of PBs for Donore athetes last Friday (28.06.2019) in the annual St. Coca’s 5km
road race at Kilcock. On a warm calm evening the conditions were ideal for good times on a
fast-flat course. Fergal Whitty (16.23) was the first Donore athlete home in 26th place overall
and 4th in the M40 category. Next in was Des Tremble (16.53) in 50th and 5th M45. Alan Farrell
(16.54) 52nd and 6th M45 broke the 17 minutes barriers for the first time – with an improving
Alan Keogh (17:40) also getting a PB when placing 77th .

Aislinn NicDhomhnaill (18.01 & 94th overall) made an excellent return to competition after a
long lay-off due to injury by winning the Women’s Over 40 category. NicDhomhnaill led the
Donore Harriers women’s team to 2nd place. The other scoring team members were Maura
Kearns (18.35) in 123rd overall and 5th senior woman, Pamela White (21.5) in 291st and 20 th
senior, and Sinead Graham 322nd and 25th senior. St. Coca’s AC (58) were 1st women’s team,
with Donore Harriers (129) in 2nd and Na Fianna AC (166) in 3rd .

The other competing Donore athletes were: – Niall O’Reilly (17.52) 85th and 17th M40; Chris
Muldoon (18.29) 117th and 24th M40; Peter Nugent (19.14) 145th and 13th M50; Oliver O’Hara
(20.09 PB) 209th and 40th M40; Frank McNally (21.39) 277th and 11th M55; Charlie O’Neill
(24.02) 384th and 8th M60; and Terry Mee 441st and 14th M60.

The Donore Harriers men’s team placed 6th . There were 556 finishers.

CLONEE 10km ROAD RACE (27.06.2019)

In the Clonee 10km road race on Thursday evening Ian Redican (44.16) placed 106th of 398
finishers, with Ann Ryan (57.18) in 291st .

PARKRUNS

Josh O’Sullivan-Hourihan (16.03) was the runaway winner of the 5th anniversary Waterstown
5km Parkrun on Saturday (29.06.2019) morning. Under 16 athlete Alan Farrell (24.06)
gained a personal best when finished in 22nd place. Under 19 Aidan Kelly (18.59) won the Corkagh Parkrun.

RESULTS IN BRIEF:

DUBLIN OPEN GRADED MEET 5 at TALLAGHT TRACK (26.06.2019) incorporating the Dublin
Juvenile 800m championships for U17, U18 & U19
Men’s 200m CI Grade: 2nd Colm Dunne (24.87)
Women’s 800m B1 Grade: 4th Barbara Cleary (2.27.83)
Men’s 800m A1 Grade: 1st Elliot Slade (1.52.45) 1st in Dublin Open 800m Championship
Men’s 800m A2 Grade: 4th Abdel Laadjel (2.04.56) 3rd in Dublin U.17 championship; 7th Simon
Murphy (2.08.97) 4th in Dublin U.19 championship
Men’s 800m C1 Grade: 4th Dominic Boyle (2.15.72)
Men’s 3,000m B Grade: 3rd Paul Cummins (9.45.68)
Women’s Pole Vault: 3rd Ailbhe Healy (2.40m)

CLONEE 10km (27.06.2019)
106th & 18th M45: Ian Redican (44.16)
291st & 17th W45: Ann Ryan (57.18)
398 finishers

ST. COCA’S 5km ROAD RACE at KILCOCK (28.06.2019)
26th & 4th M40: Fergal Whitty (16.23)
50th & 5th M45: Des Tremble (16.53)
52nd & 6th M45: Alan Farrell (16.54 PB)
77th & 46th MS: Alan Keogh (17.40 PB)
85th & 17th M40: Niall O’Reilly (17.52)
94th & 1st W40: Aislinn Nic Dhomhnaill (18.01)
117th & 24th M40: Chris Muldoon (18.29)
123rd & 5th WS: Maura Kearns (18.35)
145th & 13th M50: Peter Nugent (19.14)
209th & 40th M40: Oliver O’Hara (20.09 PB)
277th & 11th M55: Frank McNally (21.39)
291st & 20th WS: Pamela White (21.50)
322nd & 25th WS: Sinead Graham (22.24)
384th & 8th M60: Charlie O’Neill (24.02)
441st & 14th M60: Terry Mee (27.15)
556 finishers
WOMEN’s TEAM: 1st St. Coca’s AC 58; 2nd Donore Harriers (Nic Dhomhnaill, Kearns, White,
Graham) 129; 3rd Na Fianna AC 166. 11 teams
MEN’s TEAM: 1st Raheny Shamrocks AC 90, 6th Donore Harriers 202. 19 teams.

BRITISH MILERS CLUB GRAND PRIX at WATFORD (29.06.2019)
Men’s 3,000m A: 15th Daragh Fitzgibbon (8.32.82)
Men’s 1,500m A: DNF John Travers

ALL IRELAND JUVENILE GAMES at TULLAMORE (29.06.2019)
U.13 Boys Long Jump: 3rd Matei Ursachi (4.65m) bronze medal

U.12 Boys 60m Heat 2: 3rd Mario Omozee (8.70)
U.12 Boys High Jump: 5th Mario Omozee (1.25m)
U.12 Boys Shot Putt: 13th Mario Omozee (7.53m)
U.13 Boys Shot Putt: 12th Matei Ursachi (7.93m)
U.10 Boys Pairs 60m: 12th Donore Harriers (Sebastian Ursachi 9.99 & Dylan O’Connor 9.86)
(19.85)
U.11 Girls Pairs Turbo Javelin: 5th Donore Harriers (Zoe Conroy 15.51m & Amber Lynch
16.52) 32.03m
U.11 Girls Pairs Long Jump: 12th Donore Harriers (Amber Lynch 3.16m & Talitha Hynes
3.19m) 6.35m
U.11 Boys Pairs 600m: 7th Donore Harriers (Luuk Jackson 1.57.20 & Cillian McCooey
1.54.33) (3.53.53)
U.13 Boys 4 x 100m Heat 2: 6th Donore Harriers ( James Dunne, Alex Leonard, Paddy Nolan,
Ciaran O’Farrell) (55.66)

BAUHAUS JUNIOR GALA INVITATION at MANNHEIM (29&30. 06.2019)
U.20 Men’s 400m Heat 1 of 3: 1st Jack Raftery (48.81) placed 10th overall on time
U.20 Men’s 800m Heat 1 of 2: 2nd Louis O’Loughlin (1.50.28)
U.20 Men’s 4 x 400m: 3rd Ireland U.20 with Jack Raftery on Leg 3 (3.15.59)

NATIONAL TRACK & FIELD LEAGUE 2nd QUALIFYING ROUND at SANTRY (30.06.2019)
WOMEN’S PREMIER DIVISION
100m: 2nd Aoife Lynch
200m: 1st Aoife Lynch (23.70)
400m: 5th Florence Curley (1.19.0)
800m: 5th Maura Kearns (2.24.7)
1,500m: 4th Grace Kennedy-Clarke (5.13.8)
3,000m: 1st Barbara Cleary (10.18.1)
100mH: 4th Lara O’Byrne (26.60)
400mH: 3rd Caoimhe Mackey (1.12.25)
1,500m Walk: 3rd Anne Gormley (9.15.70)
3,000m SC: 3rd Ruby Kelly (13.17.8)
Long Jump: 3rd Lara O’Byrne
High Jump: 1st Lara O’Byrne (1.60m)
Triple Jump: 4th Roisin Rynn-Cahill (8.56m)
Pole Vault: no competitor
Shot Putt: 4th Emily Geoghegan (7.87m)
Discus: 5th Rebecca Power
Hammer: 1st Lauren O’Keeffe
Javelin: 2nd Rebecca Power
4 x 100m relay: 4th Donore Harriers (Lauren Flaherty, Sarah Latiff, Emily Geoghegan, Lara
O’Byrne) (52.34)
4 x 400m relay: 4th Donore Harriers (Lauren Flaherty; Sarah Higgins, Caoimhe Mackey,
Maura Kearns) (4.26.0)

TEAM SCORE: 1st Donore Harriers (104), 2nd Louth County (103.5), 3rd Tipperary County (101),
4th Monaghan County (97), 5th Clonliffe Harriers (88), 6th Wexford County (61.5)

MEN’S PREMIER DIVISION
100m: 2nd Paul McDermott (11.07)
200m: 4th Paul McDermott (22.50)
400m: 2nd Elliot Slade (49.06)
800m: 1st John Travers (1.56.4)
1,500m: 1st Daragh Fitzgibbon (4.04.5)
5,000m: 1st Rossa Hurley (15.43.0)
110mH: 1st David Slupko (15.61)
400mH: 3rd Daragh McAuley (59.06)
3,000m Walk: no competitor
3,000m SC: 2nd Gavin Curtin (10.36.9)
Long Jump: 7th Sean Chann
High Jump: Zak Higgins (1.60m)
Triple Jump: 5th Kolade Abiodun (12.26m)
Pole Vault: no competitor
Shot Putt: 5th Jaco Oosthuysen
Discus: 5th Edgar Rutins
Hammer: 6th Alex Conway
Javelin: 1st Edgar Rutins
56lb Hammer: 6th Jaco Oosthuysen
4 x 100m: 4th Donore Harriers (Sean Chann, David Slupko, Adam Halpin, Zak Higgins) (44.79)
4 x 400m: 2nd Donore Harriers (Zak Higgins, Conor Fox, Daragh McAuley, Elliot Slade)
(3.24.7)

TEAM SCORE: 1st Clonliffe Harriers (123), 2nd Donore Harriers (107), 3rd Nenagh Olympic
(100), 4th Crusaders (97), 5th Finn Valley AC (89), 6th Tipperary County (77), 7th Leevale AC (67)

PARKRUNS
Corkagh: 1st Aidan Kelly U.19 (18.59)
Waterstown: 1st Josh O’Sullivan-Hourihan (16.03); 3rd Gavin Byrne (18.40); 22nd Alan Farrell
U.16 (24.06 PB); 69th Oliver Hopkins U.15 (30.40) went off course
Griffeen: 134th Anna McMahon W35 (31.20)

Supporting Your Mental Health – A Talk by Hannah Tyrell

Club News
Saturday 23 March 2019 at 12pm in Donore Harriers clubhouse. 
Suitable for ALL members including senior, master and young people of secondary school level.  Parents/guardians also very welcome. See links below for more information on Hannah’s story. https://www.her.ie/life/video-rugby-star-hannah-tyrell-283850 https://www.the42.ie/hannah-tyrrell-womens-rugby-world-cup-mental-health-interview-3480148-Jul2017

Indoors Round-Up: National League Round 1, National Title for Lara O’Byrne & Travers runs Euro Indoors QT

Club News, Results, Senior

National Indoor League Round 1 Reports

Thanks to the two track and field captains Leonie Newman and David Campbell for these reports. After round 1, the women’s team is in 3rd place and the men are in 4th in a close contest. This Saturday in Athlone will be the second round.

Our women’s team had a great start to the Indoor League in Abbotstown 2 weeks ago. Lara O’Byrne started us off with a third place in the 60m hurdles in 9.45 and then went on to finish 6th in the Long Jump. Aoife Lynch kicked of her indoor season with a second place finish in the 60m with Joan Healy winning, another second place was Ailbhe Healy in pole vault with a jump of 2.70. Louise Murray made her debut for the women’s team in the 800m a shorter distance than she’s used to running, finishing a fine 8th and gaining valuable points .Robyn O’Keeffe finished 7th in shot put. It was a great day for the team they finished in 3rd position when points were redone,

The Donore men have a great reputation in this competition having won bronze medals last year and they were keen to start strong. The first event of the day was the 60m hurdles and David Slupko showed huge dedication to his club Donore Harriers. Earlier in the morning David was in action on the rugby pitch where he played the first half of his match, came straight to Abbotstown and with a minimal warm up he pulled off a fantastic performance. David finished 4th in a time of 8.81 seconds amongst a high quality field where national u23 champion Matthew Behan took first place in 8.11 seconds. David is an excellent hurdler and his coaches are very excited to see him in action during the outdoor season.

Next up was the cool and confident character of Kolade Abiodun in the long jump. Having not trained in over 12 months, Kolade produced a superb jump of 6.36cm and took 2nd place overall. These points were a huge bonus for the club and it proves that with more training this year we will no doubt see plenty more impressive jumps from Kolade come outdoors.

Back to the track for the men’s 60m was Ben Iveagh. The field was loaded with Ireland’s top sprinters and Ben gained valuable points for the team finishing 5th in a time of 7.59 seconds. The race was won in a very swift 7.03 seconds by Clonliffe Harriers Leo Morgan and this was a great opportunity for Ben to get valuable race experience with senior athletes of the highest level. Ben has been in excellent form all winter and his coaches are looking forward to seeing him drop fast times this indoor season.

The final track event was the men’s 800m with Jack Raftery opening his indoor season. Last year Jack had a fantastic season running 49 seconds for 400m and 1.53 for 800m which highlights how talented this juvenile athlete is. Jack is only recently back from injury and the race was a great way to test his fitness. Finishing 3rd in a time of 2.01.25 behind the winner Cillian Kirwan of Raheny Shamrocks A.C who ran 1.56.16. Jack’s 3rd place scored crucial points for the team and he will no doubt improve his times as the indoor season progresses.

The last field event of the day was shot put with Alex Conway was in action. Over the past few years Alex has been a huge help with the national league squads and proved once again what a great asset he is to the club. Alex finished an excellent 3rd place throwing 9.59m and the competition was won by Rolus Olusa of Clonliffe Harriers who threw 11.01m.

The next round of the national league takes place on Saturday 26th January in Athlone I.T and we encourage all club members to come and support both the men and women in their efforts to bring home national medals. The men are currently in 4th place overall, just four points of 3rd position which means it’s all to play for in the next round. A big thank you to all the athletes, coaches and supporters who made round 1 such a success and we look forward to a stronger round 2 as we eye up medals for a 2nd consecutive year!

There is no final this year so it’s all to play for on Saturday best of luck to all . Don’t forget there is guest races on the day for anyone looking to get an indoor time . Supporters more than welcome.

National Junior Indoor Combined Events Title for Lara

On Saturday Lara O’Byrne added another national title to her tally which goes to show how she was awarded the Dublin Juvenile star for last year when she won the National Junior Indoor Combined Event in Athlone. Lara won all 5 disciplines and finished with some new personal bests too: 60m Hurdles (9.26), Long Jump (4.65), Shot Put (9.65, PB), High Jump (1.62) and 800m (2.27, PB).

John Travers gets 3000m qualifier time

Great news, John Travers has achieved the qualifying time for the European indoors athletics championship in Glasgow in early March. He was 3rd in the Cardiff Met Athletics/Non Thomas indoor meet in a time of 8.01.04, & only a second off 2nd; a few weeks ago he ran 2 seconds slower in Scotland. But this time he did the business in a race which was won in 7.55 by UK rising star Kieran Clements. Well done John, Glasgow beckons!

XC Round-Up: Championship, BHAA & Meet-and-Train Reports

Club News, Meet & Train, Results, Senior

Dublin Masters XC Championships

Look back to Dublin Masters cross country in St. Anne’s Park Raheny which saw record numbers competing and a large Donore contingent in action.

202 women ran the women’s 3k race over 2 laps of the fast flat course, no wind and no extreme cold either. Raheny Shamrock track runner Siobhan Eviston set the pace and was the eventual winner in a fast and furious race. Making a great comeback to this race after missing it for 2 years was Anne Curley who finished in 21st place and won bronze W45. Finishing within seconds of each other were Audrey Gahan in 30th who had her best race in a long time with Florence Curley a second behind in 31st, Ariana Ball 33rd in 3 seconds later, Claire Mulligan in 34th in 2 more seconds. Great comeback too for Bronagh Elliott after a long injury last year in 36th. Next in was Fiona Barrins in 71st and Julia Hackett 4 seconds later in 75th. Angela Eustace was 93rd and great to see Mary McDermott back competing in this race as a W50 finishing in 137th. The team finished outside the medals in 4th but with 18 teams this was an excellent team performance.

Next up was the men’s race 6k for the men (3k for M65+) with a record 292 runners. From the start men’s captain Rossa Hurley was right in the mix and looked to be almost holding back in the first lap, sure enough by the end of the second lap he had pulled ahead of the Raheny and Rathfarnham runners and he powered on in the last lap to a great victory, first over the line and 1st M35.

In 23rd place and a fast finish was Gavin Keogh making a good comeback, Alan Farrell in a fine 34th with Donal Iremonger 59th, 89th was Craig Scott and Peter Nugent 147th. The team was missing some members on the day so finished out of the medals in 6th but great to have the overall winner.

The men’s M50 Team finishers were spearheaded by Des Gill 154th and Tom Fagan 155th who finished within a second of each other, Tony Griffin 214th , ken Cronin 227th and frank McNally 234th to finish in 10th place

Barry Potts had a great win in the M65 race winning gold by 13 seconds.

The support out there was brilliant, thanks all who came from far and wide to cheer, hold T-shirts, collect numbers and provide general encouragement!

Leinster Masters Championships

Newly-crowned Dublin Masters champion Rossa Hurley won another title earlier this month, the Leinster Masters Championship in Gowran Kilkenny. There was no M35 team but Gavin Keogh competed well and was 19th. The M50 team of Tom Fagan, Des Gill, Tony Griffin and Barry Potts was 10th – Tony Griffin won Bronze m60 and Barry Potts, Gold M65.

BHAA XC

The 2019 BHAA Cross Country season is now underway and there have been some impressive results for Donore athletes running for their workplaces. Sinead Lambe had a great win at the Eir BHAA XC in Cherryfield Park, in the ladies 2 mile she finished nearly 30 seconds ahead of the second placed runner. Mary McDermott, great to see Mary back racing regularly came 29th. With a quick turnaround, Sinead then took the start line for the 5 mile men’s race! This also featured women seeking a longer distance and she finished a highly impressive 35th in that. Well done to Shane McAuley who was 23rd home and to Ian Redican and Rhona McHugh, full details below,

2 Mile Women’s race 45 finishers

1st Sinead Lambe 11.54
29th Mary McDermott 15.11

5 Mile Race – 141 finishers
23rd Shane McAuley 29.44
35th Sinead Lambe 30.49
78th Ian Redican 34.56
83rd Rhona McHugh 35.20

The week before was the 6k combined cross country race in Tymon Park on a blustery day but with good ground over 2 laps of 3k. Alasdair Brown was 12th man in a fine run. Florence Curley worked her way through the field to finish 3rd woman and 59th overall. Rhona McHugh 6th woman and 73rd overall. Ian Redican was 86th.

Separately, in the IMRA hellfire mountain race, Audrey Gahan was 9th woman.

Return of the Women’s Meet and Train League

The long awaited return of the women’s meet and train league is finally over – last weekend 166 women competed in race 1 of the cross country league in Tymon Park with 14 Donore women toeing the line. Stricter insurance demands had stymied the league in the past few years but thanks to a committed group of people from across the athletic club community, this difficulty has been resolved. Hats off to Mary Butler, some members of Crusaders AC on the insurance, and our own Mary Murphy and Caren Crowley on the Committee and of course Sue Lynch – who for so many years ran this league on a wing and a prayer!
Tallaght AC put on a terrific event. A 2 mile course with one small lap, 2 big laps and plenty of challenges thrown in for the runners, hills, bumpy ground in parts, rainfall in the middle, real cross country! But the M&T unique mix of competition and camaraderie ensures that nobody feels intimidated and everyone gets encouragement.

Mary Murphy worked really hard at getting 2 Donore teams out and was a brilliant organizer and fulcrum for the team on the day. There was also a poignant minute’s silence for our dear departed teammate Karen Behan before the race – she made her mark in this league. We also remembered crusaders AC Stalwart John Fitzsimons.

Off they went at 11am and Cliodhna Carthy was very impressive showing her old flair at cross country to finish 7th. Sisters Ruth and Lee chambers finished practically together and Caren Crowley making a race return just behind. Mary McDermott did her second race of the weekend and Treasa Boylan competed on a Donore team for the first time. Catherine McKeon had a great finish as did Dana Mackey and Sarah Ni Ruairc. Mary Murphy was delighted with her fine finish and Michele Murphy too. Sue Lynch always has so much organizing to do pre the race, she often has to jump in with seconds to the start we but always powers to the finish line. Great to see Michelle Dawson come back from injury to compete and of course the 80 year old Ann Woodlock (who first competed in this league in 1983) was our final team finisher, and even had to beat off the challenge of a younger runner with seconds to the line! This league is a big part of the evolution of Donore’s women runners, practically every female Donore runner of note competed in it at some stage, it is a great team event and of course will be forever associated with Jim McNamara, a trophy in his honour was created for the league in 2016 so it will be great to present that again. Thanks all the supporters out there on the day too, Full results below and roll on the next one.

7th Cliodhna Carthy 14.02
35th Ruth Chambers 15.07
36th Lee Chambers 15.07
37th Caren Crowley 15.11
71st Mary McDermott 15.58
78th Treasa Boylan 16.08
82ns Catherine McKeon 16.14
98th Dana Mackey 16.57
101st Sarah Ni Ruairc 17.05
114th Mary Murphy 17.32
126th Michele Murphy 17.58
139 Sue Lynch 18.47
141st Michelle Dawson 18.53
155th Ann Woodlock 20.14

Waterhouse Byrne Baird Shield – Race Report & Results

Club News, Events, Juvenile, Results, Senior

Waterhouse Byrne Baird Shield

Thanks to Willie Smith for this report of the race. Willie not only painstakingly marked the course but also was finish timer with Iain Morrison. For the second time in a row we also had the juvenile shield where some of our young runners completed a lap of the course. Thanks to Niall Lynch and Graham and Faith Hopkins for this.

Beautiful day for the 122nd Anniversary and 122nd running of the Waterhouse Byrne Baird 10miles cross-country race. Started flagging the 2 mile lap shortly after 9am with Mick Bourke. On the way around some fantastic scenery with a herd of deer enveloped in low-lying mist. The mist had cleared before the 11am start. The going was sticky but not boggy.

25 runners started off their marks with Michele Murphy, her daughter Molly and son Gavin on the limit of 35 mins. Anne Curley off 18mins 30seconds, running her best for years took the lead on lap 4, and with laps of 13’57”; 13’51”; 13’49”; 14’03”; and 13’43” came home 24 seconds ahead of track runner Dave Campbell, who impressed in his debut with a time of 67mins 17seconds.

It was an emotional win for Anne who had dedicated her race to Jim McNamara prior to her start. Her actual time of 69mins 23 seconds was a big improvement of 8mins 12seconds on last year’s time! With the injury problem she has been dealing with, this was a terrific effort.

There were 20 finishers, with some close battles to the finish line with no quarter given!

The Tommy Hayward cup for the fastest time went to Niall Lynch (60mins 21seconds); the fastest female was Sinead Lambe with an excellent 65mins 46seconds. The youngest finisher was Ava Clarke, daughter of Jim who also finished.

There was a great atmosphere around the finish area with some past members in attendance. Then back in the Lounge for the presentation of the Shield, the Tommy Hayward Cup, the Shield for the juvenile race & prizes. Ian Redican and Des Gill put together on screen a compilation of interviews & reflections by members who ran in the race over the years.

Also well done to Colin Moore & our President Iain on the production of the program, who was also handicapper with Florence Curley with some assistance from Willie Smith. But most of all well done to the 25 members who took their marks.

A collection of images from the day is available here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/donoreharriers/albums/72157705079805034

Results of Race and Junior Shield below

Waterhouse Byrne Baird Shield
Open Handicap over 10 mile 26th December 2018 Scratch athlete 36mins after 1st athlete

NAME RACE TIME HANDICAP 10 MILE TIME
1 Anne Curley 1h 27m 53s 17m 30s 1h 9m 23s
2 David Campbell ​​1h 28m 17s​ 15m​​ 1h 7m 17s
3 Gavin Keogh 1h 32m 24s​ 5m​​ 1h 1m 24s
4 Donal Iremonger ​1h 33m 0s​ 12m 30s ​1h 9min 30s​​
5 Des Gill 1h 33m 12s​ 13m 30s ​ 1h 10m 42s
6 Angela Eustace ​​1h 33m 13s ​25m 30s ​1h 22m 43s
7 Neil Hand 1h 33m 14s​ 8m 30s​ 1h 05m 44s
8 Sinead Lambe 1h 33m 16s ​ 8m 30s ​1h 05m 46s
9 Craig Scott 1h 34m 53s​ 10m 30s​ 1h 09m 23s
10 Alan Farrell 1h 35m 10s ​5m ​​ 1h 04​m 10s
11 Niall Lynch 1h 35m 21s​ 1m ​​ 1h 0m 21s
12 Catherine McKeon ​1h 37m 05s​ 30m 30s ​1h 31m 35s
13 Ian Redican 1h 37m 46s ​15m 30s​ 1h 17m 16s
14 Ken Nugent 1h 38m 55s​ Scratch​​ 1h 02m 55s
15 Cliodhna Carthy 1h 39m 0s ​18m 30s ​1h 31m 30s
16 Tony Griffin 1h 39m 48s ​15m 30s ​1h 19m 18s
17 James Clarke 1h 39m 51s​ 25m 30s​ 1h 29m 21s
18 Charlie O’Neill ​1h 43m 12s​ 28m​ 1h 38m 12s​
19 Frank McNally ​1h 44m 17s ​17m 30s​ 1h 21m 47s
20 Ava Clarke ​​1h 44m 45s​ 19m 30s​ 1h 28m 15s
*Fastest 10 mile (Men) / Tommy Hayward Perpetual Trophy Niall Lynch
*Fastest 10 mile (Women) Sinead Lambe
DNF
4 laps Dana Mackey
3 laps Gavin Murphy O’Kane and Molly Murphy O’Kane
2 laps Michelle Murphy
1 lap Florrie Curley

Junior shield results

NAME RACE TIME HANDICAP 2 MILE TIME
1​​ Amber Lynch ​​14m 28s ​2m ​​14m 28s
2 ​​Honor Lynch ​​14m 29s ​1m ​​13m 29s
3 ​​Oliver Hopkins​​ 15m 04s ​scratch​​ 13m 04s
4​​ James Dunne​​ 15m 09s​ 1m 30s​ 14m 39s
5 Jamie Kavanagh​​ 15m 16s​ 1m 45s ​15m 01s
6 ​​Laura Noone ​​DNF

122nd Waterhouse Byrne Baird Shield Handicaps & 2018 Donore Harriers Juvenile Shield

Club News, Events, Senior

Waterhouse Byrne Baird Shield 2018 Flyer

Please find below the handicaps for the 122nd Waterhouse Byrne Baird Shield, a 10-Mile Open Handicap Race to be held St. Stephen’s Morning, Dec 26th 2018 @ 11am.

(Start at The Dog Pond, Phoenix Park)

2018 WATERHOUSE BYRNE BAIRD SHIELD HANDICAPS
NAME HANDICAP START TIME RACE NUMBER
Gavin Murphy O'Kane 35’ 11:00 187
Molly Murphy O'Kane 35’ 11:00 186
Michelle Murphy 35’ 11:00 185
Dana Mackay 32’30" 11:02:30 184
Catherine McKeon 29’30" 11:05:30 183
Charlie O'Neill 27' 11:08 182
James Clarke 24’30" 11:10:30 181
Angela Eustace 24’30" 11:10:30 180
Niamh Clarke 18’30" 11:16:30 179
Ava Clarke 18’30" 11:16:30 178
Cliodhna Carthy 17’30" 11:17:30 177
Anne Curley 16’30" 11:18:30 176
Frank McNally 16’30" 11:18:30 175
Ian Redican* 14’30" 11:20:30 174
Tony Griffin* 14’30" 11:20:30 173
David Campbell 14' 11:21 172
Florrie Curley 14' 11:21 171
Barry Potts 14' 11:21 170
Ariana Ball 13' 11:22 169
Des Gill 12'30" 11:22:30 168
Donal Iremonger 11'30" 11:26:30 167
Craig Scott 9'30" 11:25:30 166
Neil Hand 7'30" 11:27:30 165
Sinead Lambe 7'30" 11:27:30 164
Gavin Keogh 4' 11:31 188
Alan Farrell* 4’ 11:31 163
Emmet Ó Briain 3' 11:32 162
Fergal Whitty Scratch 11:35 161
Niall Lynch Scratch 11:35 160
*Former Shield Winner

The Donore Harriers Juvenile Shield 2018

For the second year we now have a wonderful addition to the traditional 10 mile Waterhouse Byrne with Juvenile Shield, handicapped for some of our junior athletes under 15 over 1 lap of the 2 mile course. Handicapped by their coaches Niall Lynch and Graham Hopkins.

This will get under way at approximately 11.45 a.m.

Defending champion Oliver Hopkins will go off as scratch athlete. Oliver has reacted well to his new training group and qualified for cross country nationals this season for the first time.

He will face a considerable challenge to retain the Shield with a stacked field ahead of him. Honor Lynch and Laura Nunan are XC specialists and are also recent graduates to Gerry Naughton’s group. Both represented club and county at nationals last week with Laura claiming a silver medal on the Dublin team. Lorraine O’Connor’s excellent progress this year was rewarded with the Donore Best T&F Girl award last month and she will be one to watch if handicapped well. James Dunne’s excellent form was demonstrated when he knocked a staggering 19 seconds off his 1500m PB in the December outing. James is really beginning to bring his sprint speed to the longer distances. Amber Lynch is always a threat and her recent Donore Best XC Girl award was richly deserved. Fresh from representing club and county in nationals, she will be considered a real danger. Our final declared athlete is Leah Nunan. One of the most determined athletes in the squad, Leah also took 19 seconds off her 1500 PB last time out with a typically gutsy run and is coming into great form just in time for the Shield.

2018 DONORE HARRIERS JUVENILE SHIELD HANDICAPS
NAME HANDICAP RACE NUMBER
Oliver* Scratch 189
Honor 1' 190
Laura 1' 191
Lorraine 1'30" 193
James 1'30" 194
Amber 2' 195
Leah 2'30" 196
*Defending Champion

Club Christmas Opening Hours

Club News

Club Christmas opening hours starting from Christmas Eve

Members please note and respect the following arrangements for the clubhouse on these dates.

Evening openings will not happen on these dates and the clubhouse is closed entirely on 24th, 25th, and 31st December.

24-25 Dec – Closed.
26 Dec – Open.
27-30 Dec – 10am to 1pm.
31 Dec – Closed.
1 Jan – 10am to 2pm (to facilitate those running Tom Brennan 5k).

Bronze Lining at Dublin Intermediate XC

Club News, Results, Senior

Dublin Intermediate XC

The day after our own Jingle bells 5k, there was no slacking for some of our hardworking volunteers. They had to to tackle a testing course in Tymon Park for the Dublin intermediate cross country championship. An unfortunate last minute injury and unavailability for some runners meant that the women did not have a full team on the day but admirably the three runners decided to compete anyway. A 5k course with one small lap and two big laps was the test for the 60 runners out. First home was Audrey Gahan who worked through the field well to come in 20th place, Ariana Ball had her first race since her excellent Dublin marathon and she was not far behind in 27th, claire mulligan in her second championship race for the club ran a very controlled race picking lots of people off to finish 30th. Winners of the team and individual title were Sportsworld.

The men were next up tackling 4 big laps 8k. By the first lap Matthieu Profitt was in a good position near the top. Two Rathfarnham runners (eventual Gold and silver Mitchell Byrne and Robert Murphy) started to string the field out though and get ahead but Matthieu was in the second bunch and eventually got out on his own finishing an excellent 6th. Emmet O’Briain can always rely on his track speed in these races and he had a strong run to finish in 14th. Paul Cummins had an excellent run and was well pleased with his 21st placing. Alan Farrell who had a hectic day coordinating at the jingle Bells (and being a Chief Elf!) the day before gave it everything to finish 31st and Alasdair Brown likewise in 37th. They all just got in before the heavens opened in Tymon Park! As we tried to dry off at race HQ in Templeogue United there was an anxious wait for the men’s team results as it became clear there may be a tie for first place. Nonetheless Donore Harriers were delighted to secure the bronze with 72 points, 9 ahead of Sportsworld. Brothers Pearse beat Rathfarnham WSAF on countback.

Well done all and see some of these runners back in action for the national novice this weekend.

Jingle Bells 2018 Report

Club News, Results, Senior

The 28th Jingle Bells 5k took place Saturday, December 1st. We had our biggest field ever at just under 1,500 participants with almost 1,200 chipped finishers and almost 300 under 16s. Well done to all and congratulations to winners Eoin Everard, 14:36, (Kilkenny City Harriers) and Teresa Doherty, 16:13 (Finn Valley AC). Runners up in the Men’s were Efren Gidey (Clonliffe Harriers), 2nd in 14:43 with Colin Maher (Ballyfin AC) in 14:44, 3rd. In the Women’s race Sarah Healy (Blackrock AC) was 2nd in 16:24 and Sinead O’Connor (Leevale AC), 3rd in 16:48.

In the team categories. Leevale AC won the Women’s team prize, followed by Donore Harriers, 2nd and Raheny Shamrock AC 3rd. The Men’s team results were Clonliffe Harriers as winner followed by Crusaders AC, 2nd and UCD AC in 3rd. Congratulations to Eirgrid as the winners of the corporate team challenge.

2018 marks the 125th anniversary of Donore Harriers and to celebrate the occasion we had the added dimension of a flying mile competition. Sponsored by our race timing partners, Pop Up Races, we had a €125 prize to the fastest man and the fastest woman over the final mile. The fastest man was race winner, Eoin Everard (Kilkenny City Harriers) in 4:24 and the fastest woman was Sinead O’Connor (Leevale AC) in 5:01.

A very big thank you to all who volunteered to help with stewarding and other duties on the day and in the planning of the event. A special thank you to our sponsor, Bill Griffin Motors, to Brogan’s Bakery for their delicious Kerrygold butter shortbread biscuits and to Dunnes Stores for their contribution. A particular thank you to the OPW and the Phoenix Park Rangers whose permission, help and support in running the event is greatly appreciated. Thank you also to An Garda Siochana and to the Civil Defence for their assistance and professionalism once again. Thank you to Pop Up Races for their excellent timing services and to Fintan Reilly for his commentary. A massive thank you as well to the Blanchardstown Brass Band for their entertainment on the morning. Finally thank you to all our participants, we hope you enjoyed it and we hope to see you all next year.

Full results and category results are available here.

https://www.popupraces.ie/race/jingle-bells-5k-2018/

Photos by Alasdair Brown: https://www.flickr.com/photos/78663851@N07/sets/72157700984104632